Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping doesn't expect Alexa Grasso to lose her title to Valentina Shevchenko.
Grasso defends her women's flyweight crown against Shevchenko in a rematch set to headline the UFC's upcoming Fight Night event taking place Sept. 16 in Las Vegas.
Their first meeting took place in March at UFC 285 and saw Grasso submit Shevchenko in the fourth round of what was one of the biggest upsets in recent years. It was Shevchenko's first defeat at flyweight as her nine-fight winning streak was also snapped in the process.
However, much like Amanda Nunes, many observers believe Shevchenko had an off night and will make the necessary adjustments to regain her title in the rematch. “Bullet” is also a solid betting favorite over Grasso as well.
Bisping, on the other hand is not only leaning towards Grasso — he also feels the Mexican is the superior fighter.
“It might sound crazy, but I think Alexa is the better fighter,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Junkie). “That doesn’t sound crazy to me at all. I thought Alexa looked really good. I think that Valentina Shevchenko has been a dominant force for so long, but everyone has their time. Everyone has their end. Everyone has their beginning of the end.
“Is this the beginning of the end of Shevchenko? Are her best days behind her? I don’t know – maybe. Maybe she had an off night. Maybe Alexa Grasso is just a better fighter. I thought she looked very well. It certainly wasn’t a fluke.”
That's not to say Bisping isn't a fan of Shevchenko nor is he not giving a shot.
However, “The Count” believes Shevchenko needs to change her approach drastically as she has become a bit too passive in her last few fights.
“I’m a fan of Valentina, so this is not an insult, she (was) a dominant champion, and sometimes you start getting into the mind set, like George St-Pierre, that you get too passive in the fight, maybe a bit too defensive,” Bispong explained. “She needs to go back to being that hungry killer. She needs to go forward and be the aggressor, as opposed to trying to counter all the time.
“But who am I to sit here and critique Shevchenko with the career she’s had.”
UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 — which notably takes place during Mexican Independence Day — also features a welterweight matchup between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kelvin Gastelum.